Knitting machine



June 19, 1951 A. OBERHOLTZR 2,557,137

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Aug. l5, 1946 v3 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN TOR.

GTi' OBETI'IOZZEI v y r v ATT RNEY June 19, 1951 LA. l.. OBERHOLTZER 2,557,137

KNITTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 15, 1946 3 Sheet's-SheeiI 2 1N V EN TOR.

@MC- v @Z7 ATTORNEY June 19, 1951 A. oB-:RHoL-'TZER KNITTING MACHINE Filed Aug. l5, 1946 Hummm..lA

llllllmuunll'll imwys Patented June 19, y1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE KNITTING MACHINE Albert L. Oberholtzer, Laconia, N. H., assigner to Scott & Williams, lIncorporated, Laconia, N. H., a corporation of Massachusetts Application August 15, 194.6, Serial No. 690,671

(Cl. (i6-111') 13 Claims. l

I This invention relates to a knitting machine and has particular reference to a needle leveler and latch opener therefor.. v

Inknitting machines of the type having opposed coaxial cylinders, needles are provided having hooks vand latches at both ends thereof, these needles being adapted to .be transferred from one cylinder to the other for the purpose of knitting ribbed fabrics or fabrics having so-called links and links designs. In certain phases of the D- eration of such machines, needles may be without in their hooks or on their latches, and, conseQuentIy, a latch opener is required to insure that the needle latches are opened in order that the needles may take yarn. As an example of such a phaseof operation, there may be cited the formation of a press-off draw thread involving the use of two feeds in a machine, through the cams of both of which the needle controlling sliders pass though no yarn is fed to the needles at one of the feeds, Loops are, accordingly, cast off the needles, leaving the needles bare of yarn so that the latches will not be opened by loops of the yarn prior to their reaching the feed point where yarn is presented.

In the case of double cylinder machines of the type described, the needle controlling sliders are provided with openings within which the hooks ,of needles are engaged. In view of the fact that the hooks of the needles must be disengageable from the sliders for transfer operations, these openings are substantially larger than the needle hooks so that there is considerable play possible Vbetween the needles and their sliders when the hooks are within the slider openings. As a result of this play, the position of a needle may not be accurately related to the position of its slider if the slider 4is moved by the cams in the machine, and, for example, the sudden impact of a lower slider with Aa slider Vraising cam may jar a needle upwardly relatively to the slider so that its lower hook will not abut the shoulder at the end of the slider opening which normally, by pressing upon the hook, should cause the needle to rise. In such case, the needle may be carried upwardly by friction with the slider though out of contact with the shoulder so that the path of the needle will be abnormally high.

`'The conditions just described cause trouble in latch opening. The latch opener is generally a member having a point which is positioned to enter inside or beneath the hook of a needle so that as the needle moves relatively to the latch opener the latch is cammed to open position by the opener. Particularly in line gauge machines, the position of the point of the latch Opener with respect to a needle is very critical and a slight dise placement of the needle from its proper path may cause the point of the latch opener to be struck by the latch with resulting breakage and possibly serious damage. It is, accordingly, important that each needle be presented to the latch opener in precisely the proper fashion to insure entry of the latch opener into the small spacebetween the hook and the latch. In view of the play be,- tween the needle and controlling slider referred to above, precise control of the slider position does not insure corresponding precise control of the needle position.

It is the object of the present invention to insure that needles are properly presented to a latch opener. y

The foregoing object, together with other ob.- jects relating to details of construction, control, and operation, will be apparent from the following description, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary axial section show..- ing the association of a needle leveler and latch opener with certain parts of .a double cylinder machine;

v Figure 2 is a fragmentary outside elevation of the lower cylinder and its associated parts illustrating the action of the needle leveler and ,latch Opener.;

Figure 3 is an elevation, partly in section, show.- ing certain control and mounting devices for the needle leveler and latch opener;

Figure 4 is a plan View of the same; and

Figure 5 is a perspective View illustrating the same elements.

There will first be described the control and mounting means for the latch opener and needle leveler in a double cylinder machine, with particular reference to Figures 3, 4 and 5.

An upright bearing 2 has clamped thereon a bracket 4 carrying a stud Ii on which is pivoted a lever 8 having an upright portion as particularly illustrated in Figure 3. Between a hook 9 carried by this lever and a pin I3 carried by the bracket 4, there is a tension spring I I which normally urges this lever in a counterclockwlse direction as viewed in Figure 4 to bring into contact with a cam lli having a high portion I2, an arm I adjustably secured to the leve'r. The cam I4 is o ne of a group commonly provided in a machine of this type supported Vby a shaft mounted in the bearing 2 and arranged to be stepped about through a ratchet indicated at I6. For further reference to the cam operation, attention may be directed to the patent to Deans et. al. 2,101,494..

Adjustably secured in the upper end of the up right portion of the lever 8 by a set screw 20 is a bent wire extension I8 which is arranged to engage a bent wire 22 secured to a member 24 which carries the needle leveler blade 26 which is thin so that it may enter between the needles in the upper and lower cylinders. The member 24 is pivoted at' 28 to an arm 3u secured to a bracket 32 clamped upon the fixed upright post 34. A spring 36 reacting between the bracket 32 and a hook 38 at one end of the member 24 urges this member in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figures 4 and 5, to bring the wire member 22 into engagement with the wire extension I8, or when the wire extension I8 is moved, as hereafter described, against the supporting member 30 which acts as a stop to limit the counterclockwise position of the leveler blade 26 to cause it to occupy a proper position above the needles in the lower cylinder.

A block 40 is pivoted on a stud 42 carried by a second bracket 44 clamped upon the post 34. This block carries a bent wire arm 46 which is adjustably clamped in the block by a set screw 48. Adjustably clamped also in the block 4D by a set screw 54 is the latch opener 5I). This latch opener takes the form of a bent wire provided with a point 52, which, when the latch opener isV in operating position, is adapted to enter the spaces between the hooks and latches of needles in the lower cylinder.

A tension spring 56, secured to the block at one end and extending about the pivot 42 to an anchorage on a post 58 carried by the bracket 44, urges the block and the parts carried thereby in a counterclockwise direction limited by engagement of the wire 46 with the upright portion of the lever 8 or by engagement of the projection 4I of block 4D with the adjusting screw 43.

In order to x accurately the position of the bracket 4 if it is moved after the parts are once adjusted, it is provided with a screw 60 arranged to abut an ear E32 extending upwardly from a xed bracket 64. With this adjustment and independent adjustments of the brackets 32 and 44 on the post 34 which is carried by the bracket 4, and the adjustments of the cam follower eX- tension I and of the latch opener in the block 40, accurate positioning of the parts with respect to the needles is insured. The latch opener and the leveler are adapted to be moved between operative and inoperative positions during the operation of the machine. When the follower extension ID is on the low portion of the cam I4, the spring I I, which is stronger in its effect than the springs 36 and 5E, maintains engagement between the follower and the cam, and, accordingly, insures the positions of the parts as illustrated in full lines in Figure 4. The block 4I) is swung by engagement of the lever 8 with the wire 46 to hold the latch opener point 52 away from the needles. At the saine time, the wire I8, by engagement with the wire 22, withdraws the needle leveler away from the needles. When, however, the follower I rises on the portion I2 of the cam I4, the lever 8 disengages the wire 46 with the result that the block may be moved by the spring 56 to a position limited by engagement of its tail portion 4I with the adjustable stop screw 43 threaded into the post 58. The latch opener then occupies the dotted line position illustrated in Figure 4.

At the same time the wire I8 is withdrawn from the wire 22 and the needle leveler swings to the dotted line position illustrated in Figure 4,

which position is fixed by engagement of the wire 22 with the supporting member 30.

Figures l and 2 illustrate the cooperation of the needle leveler and latch opener with the needles. The lower cylinder 66 and the upper cylinder 6l of the machine are provided with slots 68 in the usual fashion for the reception of needles and sliders. A typical lower slider is illustrated at l, this slider having the usual opening I2 delimited by a hook II and a shoulder I3 for the reception of the lower hook of a needle T4. Arcuate sinkers 16 are provided in the usual fashion to move between the needles. A cam 18, acting upon upper butts of the sliders, is arranged to effect rise of the needles at a time when the needle latches are closed. This rise may occur, for example, after the sliders moved downwardly through the stitch cams at a feed where no yarn is being fed in the formation of a press-oit draw thread, preparatory to the passage of the sliders through the other feed of the machine to take yarn. At such time, every other needle is in the lower cylinder with intermediate needles in the upper cylinder. The needles in the upper cylinder do not release their stitches when going through this feed, and thus stitches are retained on alternate needles. The cam T8 defines a desired predetermined upward path for the upper hooks of the needles, i. e., the path indicated at A in Figure 2, which path would be followed by the needles if they remained, at all times, with their lower hooks engaging the shoulders I3 of the lower sliders. The latch opener 50 may be adjusted for proper cooperation with the needles following the path A, i. e., the point 52 of the latch opener would properly enter the space between the hooks and latches of the needles so moving so that as the needles rotated and rose the latches would engage the latch opener beyond its hook and be cammed open and downwardly thereby.

However, reference to Figure l will illustrate the possibility that due to freedom of movement of the lower needle hooks in the slider openings 12, the needles might not follow the path A but might tend to follow a path higher than A so that their latches would abut the point of the latch opener with resulting breakage and damage to the needles if not more serious damage to the machine. In operating at high speeds, engagement of a butt 80 of a slider with the cam 'I8 may create a sudden impact which will tend to jar the needle upwardly relatively to the slider and by friction with the slider the needle may then continue to move upwardly along a path higher than A. The needle leveler 25 is arranged to prevent this. Its end overlying the needle circle is desirably so located as to clear by a matter of a few thousandths of an inch the path A of the upper needle hooks. Needles following the path A or negligibly above the path A by a mattei' of a few thousandths of an inch will clear the leveler blade 2t in moving upwardly and will be properly engaged by the latch opener. On the other hand, needles which tend to move higher than the path A and which might, accordingly, improperly engage the latch opener will iirst engage4 the leveler 25 to be held downwardly thereby so as to rise along a proper path, substantially path A,y as they leave the end of the leveler. By causing the leveler to be missed by the hooks of the needles moving along the proper path, wearof both the needle hooi-:s and of the leveler is avoided, the leveler engaging only those needles which are moving too high and which are being merely frictionally raised as contrasted with being positively raised by engagement of their lower hooks by the shoulders 13 of the sliders. Thus the force of Contact which ever exists between the needles and the leveler is only vary small and does not occasion any substantial amount of wear.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. For a knitting machine having two coaxial superposed needle cylinders and needles adapted to be transferred from one cylinder to the other, a needle leveler adapted to be positioned above said needles when in the lower cylinder and means for raising said needles into contact with said leveler whereby all needles so raised will be positioned at the same level.

2. For a knitting machine having two coaxial superposed needle cylinders and needles adapted to be transferred from one cylinder to the other, a needle leveler adapted to be positioned above said needles when in the lower cylinder and means for raising said needles into contact with said leveler whereby all needles so raised will be positioned at the same level, said means consisting of a cam and sliders.

3. For a knitting machine having two coaxial superposed needle cylinders and needles adapted to be transferred from one cylinder to the other, a needle leveler adapted to be positioned above said needles when in the lower cylinder and means for raising said needles adjacent to said leveler, said leveler defining an upper bound for the needle path whereby all needles so raised will follow substantially the same path in the vicinity of said leveler.

4. For a knitting machine having two coaxial superposed needle cylinders and needles adapted to be transferred from one cylinder to the other, a needle leveler adapted to be positioned above said needles when in the lower cylinder and means for raising said needles adjacent to said leveler, said leveler defining an upper bound for the needle path whereby all needles so raised will follow substantially the same path in the vicinity of said leveler, said means consisting of a cam and sliders.

5. For a knitting machine having two coaxial superposed needle cylinders and needles adapted to be transferred from one cylinder to the other, means for raising needles along a predetermined path, and a leveler arranged to be positioned immediately above the upper hooks of needles following said predetermined path to prevent needles from following a substantially higher path past said leveler.

6. In a knitting machine, a latch opener adapted to open the latches of needles when they are' raised to a certain level, means for raising said needles along a predetermined path to that level, and means located above the needles and associated with the latch opener for preventing the needles from moving along a path substantially higher in the vicinity of said leveler than said predetermined path.

'7. In a knitting machine, a latch opener adapted to open the latches of needles when they are raised to a certain level, means for raising said needles along a predetermined path to that level, and means associated with the latch opener for preventing the needles from moving along a path substantially higher in the vicinity of said leveler than said predetermined path, said latch opener and said needle leveler being retractable.

8. In a knitting machine containing latch needles and controlling sliders with respect to which said needles have limited freedom of movement, a latch opener having a point arranged to enter the space between the closed latch and the shank of a needle and to open the latch thereof, means for moving sliders and their associated needles, and means engageable with needles so moved for insuring that the needles will be located at a substantially common level with respect to their associated sliders in advance of reaching the point of the latch opener.

9. In a knitting machine containing latch needles, a latch opener having a point arranged to enter the space between the closed latch and the shank of a needle and to open the latch thereof, means for raising needles, and means engageable by the upper ends of raised needles for insuring that, at a predetermined point immediately in advance of the latch opener, needles are positioned no higher than a predetermined level.

10. In a knitting machine containing latch needles, a latch opener adapted to open the latches of needles when they are raised to a certain level, means for raising needles to that level, and means engageable by the upper ends of needles for insuring that, at a predetermined point immediately in advance of the latch opener, needles are positioned no higher than said certain level.

11. In a knitting machine containing latch needles, a latch opener having a point arranged to enter the space between the closed latch and the shank of a needle and to open the latch thereof, means for raising needles, means yieldingly holding said latch opener in latch opening position, and means engageable by the upper ends of raised needles for insuring that, at a predetermined point immediately in advance of the latch opener, needles are positioned no higher than a predetermined level.

12. In a knitting machine containing latch needles, a latch opener having a point arranged to enter the space between the closed latch and the shank of a needle and to open the latch thereof, means for raising needles, means engageable by the upper ends of raised needles for insuring that, at a predetermined point immediately in advance of the latch opener, needles are positioned no higher than a predetermined level, and means yieldingly holding the last mentioned means in position to be so engageable by needles.

13. For a knitting machine having two coaxial superposed needle cylinders, sliders and needles adapted to be transferred from one cylinder to the other, means for raising sliders along a predetermined path, and a leveler arranged to be positioned immediately above the upper hooks of needles being raised by their sliders following said predetermined path to insure that all needles join a substantially common path while being raised by their associated sliders.

ALBERT L. OBERHOLTZER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 92,300 Gardner July 6, 1869 226,091 Mayo Mar. 30, 1880 2,214,706 Holmes Sept. 10, 1940 2,391,665 Wildt et a1 Dec. 25, 1945 2,400,636 Fregeolle May 21, 1946 

